Antibiotics: 'national threat' from steep rise in patients who are resistant to drugs

A steep rise in the number of patients who do not respond to antibiotic treatment risks causing a “national health threat”, NHS officials have warned.Experts say the explosion in the use of antibiotics in the Western world to treat common ailments could become a “catastrophic threat” because increasingly bacteria have become resistant to the drugs, so they do not work when they are really needed.Officials said the scale of such infections had become a matter of “national concern” with 600 cases reported last year, compared with just five in 2006.Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England has previously warned that the threat hanging over the country is equal to that of terrorism.On Thursday she called for urgent action to reduce the number of antibiotics being prescribed, and improve hygiene in hospitals to prevent the spread of resistant bacteria.Figures from Public Health England have documented the rise in a group of infections called carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) — which are resistant even to antibiotics that are normally given as a “last resort” because nothing else works.Patients in this situation still sometimes respond to other drugs, but it can be difficult to find the right treatment in time.Experts said that the situation was particularly worrying in London and in Manchester, where two NHS trusts, Central Manchester Foundation Trust and University Hospitals South Manchester have each reported at least 100 cases in ...
Source: PharmaGossip - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs